Monthly Archives: April 2016

On April 14 I drove from Tucson north through Globe and into the Sierra Ancha to hike Aztec Peak, the high point of the range. Aztec Peak has 7748 feet of elevation and 2468 feet of prominence, the 41st most prominent peak in Arizona. Arizona has three physiographic regions, the Colorado Plateau in the northeast, the Basin and Range in the south and west, and the Arizona Transition Zone between those two. This peak was the only peak of this winter season I climbed that lay within the Transition Zone, all others lying in the Basin and Range region. Continue reading →

On April 3 Arizona Peakbaggers Meetup members Eric Kassan, Richard Hensley, Kay Komuro, Maymay Au, Fan, and I attempted to climb Pinnacle Ridge. Pinnacle Ridge is rarely visible for those who stick to highway travel across Arizona, but has 7550 feet of elevation and 2470 feet of prominence, making it the 40th most prominent peak in Arizona. We encountered much more brush than we had expected which slowed our progress considerably and with member time constraints we eventually had to turn around well short of the summit. Continue reading →

Our winter home in Tucson has a view of Mount Lemmon, the high point of the Santa Catalina Mountains to our north. Mount Lemmon has an elevation of 9157 feet and 5157 feet of prominence and rises about 6300 feet above our home. The General Hitchcock Highway (aka Catalina Highway) climbs from near its base in Tucson to Summerhaven. Near Summerhaven a side road climbs through Ski Valley and past a gate to the gated and fenced Sky Center. The General Hitchcock highway is a very popular bicycling route for local and visiting bicyclists. It is a great bicycling resource providing good workouts, fun descents, and excellent views of the Tucson Basin and surrounding mountains to the south. Continue reading →

On the morning of April 2 I met Arizona Peakbaggers Meetup members Eric Kassan, Richard Hensley, Kay Komuro, Maymay Au, and Fan in Peridot, Arizona, where we purchased San Carlos Apache Tribal Recreation Permits for our planned climb of Mount Turnbull. Mount Turnbull is the high point of the Santa Teresa Mountains of Southeast Arizona with 8282 feet of elevation and 3562 feet of prominence, the 15th most prominent peak in Arizona. Continue reading →